He made history in Congress - then the Supreme Court changed its mind

What the report says

BBC World News reports that residents and officials in Tuskegee, Alabama, fear a redrawn congressional map could cost them political representation and access to federal help. The article centers on Shomari Figures, a Democrat elected in 2024 to the US House and described by the BBC as the first Black person in modern history to represent Tuskegee in Congress. Within about a year, Figures helped secure $1 million in federal funding toward a planned civic center that would also house the city’s police and fire departments and serve as a storm shelter.

The BBC describes Tuskegee as a small, majority-Black rural city with high poverty and limited emergency medical options. Residents cited by the outlet said the local fire department often fills gaps left by the absence of a general hospital or round-the-clock emergency clinic. Mayor Chris Lee told the BBC the city depends on federal funding and said it is important to have someone in Congress advocating for local needs.

The political uncertainty follows an April US Supreme Court ruling that, according to the BBC, made it harder to challenge congressional maps on racial-discrimination grounds and allowed Republican-led Southern states to redraw districts that had increased minority representation. Alabama’s earlier map had been struck down in 2023 under the Voting Rights Act, leading to a district that helped Figures win office. He now faces re-election in a redrawn, white-majority seat.

The BBC reported sharply different views over the change. Figures and some Black Alabamians see the map fight as racially motivated, while Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and Alabama Young Republicans chair Cedric Coley framed it as a partisan or race-neutral redistricting dispute. The outcome could affect both local projects and the balance of power in Congress.